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Friday, 31 August 2012

Designed by students at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia IAAC, the Endessa Pavilion is part of the Smart City Expo in Barcelona, Spain. The aim of the project is exploring the possiblities ofdistributed intelligence concept. The building is conceived as an adaptive system that responds to environmental influences. The skin is constructed as a network of intelligent nodes that position themselves according to solar radiation.

Photovoltaic panels are mounted onto the modular roof that allows radiation to enter the building during the cold months and protect the interior during summer. The design and position of these front modules not only depend on the orientation but also the relationship the building has with its environment.

The building is designed to be fabricated by CNC machines. Built in a month, the building was assembled out of parts that were defined in digital format string and cut into very quickly, even if they were completely different from each other. Encounters between pieces have been resolved through software, and the pieces are cut into the system thinking that are in the building. With this precision, the pieces of wood come to work for meetings with the recesses and holes for receiving bolts. Perimeter facade modules are produced and assembled at the factory, so that on the work should only be fitted, further increasing the efficiency of construction.

The private Mecenat Art Museum, designed by Naf Architect & Design, houses the work of a Japanese-style painter Kakudo Goami. The design of the building focuses on natural lighting which pours into the interior through a white cylinder structure.

Description from the architects:The works of Mr. Goami give striking image of various lights, thus, I decided to design the building focusing on natural light. Soft diffused light from top light, direct light pouring from top light through white cylinder for condensation of light spreading on the first floor, soft light from slits on the walls reflecting on the exterior green, fragments of graphical lights pouring through 432 plate glasses on theconcrete walls; the space is filled with various kinds of lights. As an exhibition space, there was no need for structure such as columns and beams but as large wall as possible. The important factor of the museum was to incorporate natural light and wind, so corners are sliced with slits to the extent which would not interfere the exhibit. This idea would have left the building structurally fragile, so we studied a rational shape, which was structurally stable like folding one sheet of paper, origami, many time to make several corners, with models and three-dimensional structure analysis by computer.

The site is found in a calm and peaceful rural scene, where it became completely dark at night with no streetlights. This building is automatically lit up when it becomes dark, softly casting light to the surrounding. It became a landmark of the area.

I focused on taking in as much factors from natural environment as possible in the exhibition space. Artificial lights in the exhibition space are limited to the minimum. The works are basically viewed withnatural light which changes throughout the year, giving different impression by the weather of the day and time of the year. The exhibition space is intentionally designed to be susceptible to the natural environment.

I would like the visitors to feel, with their entire bodies, through this building, atmosphere of profundity and gentleness created by the paintings of Mr. Kakudo Goami, which is based on noble spirit of Orient in the changes of four seasons unique in Japan.

As an addition to the Volkswagen’s theme park in Wolfsburg, Germany, the Porsche Pavilion offers 400 m² of space for exhibitions and presentations. Designed by HENN Architects, the building is located right across the Volkswagen Pavilion. Its characteristic curves and bends dominate the site and express the importance of Porsche within the Volkswagen Group family. The area around the pavilion was designed by WES & Partner Architekten.

The building envelope forms a spatial enclosure that creates an impression of a homogeneous unity. The interior and exterior are designed as a flowing continuum, with matte-finish stainless steel cladding. A total of 620 sheets of stainless steel cladding with welded ribs were prefabricated in a ship-yard in Stralsund and assembled on site. At the entrance the pavilion cantilevers 25m over the lagoon’s water surface in front. Below the cantilever of the large asymmetrical roof, a sheltered external space opens up.

The interior is dominated by an elliptically curved ramp that leads visitors to the lower exhibition stage areas. These are designed by Hg Merz Architekten Museumgestalter. The Original Porsche built in 1948 is the starting point of the exhibition, featuring 25 silver-colored vehicle models manufactured at the scale of 1:3. A film about the company history, sound stories about selected Porsche models as well as tablet PCs with further information about the exhibited vehicles complete the experience.

The site for this project designed by BLUA is located at the west side of Hangzhou new city, 2.6km to the CBD center. The facility has a total built area of 15,500 square meters. Above ground floor area is 46,700 square meters. The southwest corner is the entrance for the planned Metro Line and around the site are high-end residential districts. The north side is bounded by a primary school. Adjacent to Qian Jiang River, the site is a connector between the natural and urban life of the city, making it a perfect location for a sports complex. Our project is based on creating an urban plaza while also creating anicon for the lack of large-scale commercial facilities and distribution of leisure spaces. With the convenient transportation, the sports center radiates across the whole city.

The site for this project is located at the west side of Hangzhou new city, 2.6km to the CBD center. The facility has a total built area of 15,500 square meters. Above ground floor area is 46,700 square meters. The southwest corner is the entrance for the planned Metro Line and around the site are high-end residential districts. The north side is bounded by a primary school. Adjacent to Qian Jiang River, the site is a connector between the natural and urban life of the city, making it a perfect location for a sports complex. Our project is based on creating an urban plaza while also creating an icon for the lack of large-scale commercial facilities and distribution of leisure spaces. With the convenient transportation, the sports center radiates across the whole city.

In emergency circumstances, man’s successful fit into the hosting environment depends on the possibilities for change and adaptation within a context of conservative use of resources. The project byOpenSystems (Marco Vanucci) illustrates a differentiated and performative system attempting to overcome an existing dichotomy between standardization and need for diversity and change in environmental structures. The design uses parametric design protocols to develop a semi-modular system formed by the aggregation of differentiated cellular units. Each unit consists of a monocoque rigid shell and a pedestal. The differentiated monocoque shells are made of Fibre-Reinforced Plastic and their design is achieved by structuring an adjustable mould. Each individual unit is designed to provide self-sufficiency within extreme emergency conditions. The lightweight modular construction provides a minimum inventory / maximum diversity system. The minimum inventory of components (a kit of parts) is generated from the same topological matrix so standardized construction processes provide different design outputs. The units generated can then be assembled and reconfigured to better suit specific local conditions while retaining their individual effectiveness.

The modular system uses a construction technique that supports structural load by using its external skin: the monocoque shell. Its design is achieved by casting plaster into a thin sheet of elastic fabric to produce variety organically-curved surfaces. Plaster is used to freeze the concave and convex surfaces formed by latex under tensile stresses. A steel frame with elastic fabric and metal cables is used as the ‘mould’. The direction of the curve and the height of each slump can be controlled by the angle at which the mould is set, when the plaster is poured, and the amount of stress applied by the weight of the material itself. By relying on gravity and the weight of the plaster to achieve each curvature, structural catenary and parabolic curves are achieved. The smoothness of the elastic fabric sheet provides the desirable surface to cast Fibre-Reinforced Plastic to form the final shell. Additionally, joint conditions are controlled by creating a smooth lip at each base edge creating a smooth transition between each mould.

Under the current economic pressure, cities are no longer able to develop the way they used to, especially in the regeneration of unused industrial areas, which have become increasingly in demand due to lack of housing and infrastructure. Although nearby, they represent disconnected areas from the city centers. Considering that city expansion and large regeneration schemes remain as unrealized masterplans due to shortage of public funds and lack of incentive to private initiatives, its now a challenge to devise schemes which could trigger progressive regeneration in harmony with existing urban structures. From an environmental perspective, large amounts of infrastructure and many buildings, which could have been adopted and reused, have been destroyed. The destruction of heritage and memory, the environmental cost of willful demolition and the scale, speed of erection and brutality of the new are most of the time too much for communities to absorb. Therefore, revitalizing bits of the city that need repair, that need healing is becoming increasingly important.

The main feature of the proposal by Evgeni Leonov Architects is minimization of the A/V ratio of the building. Minimal external surface means minimal heat losses. Egg shape is used as inspiration to this project. As known, the egg is one of the most energy-efficient forms of nature. To make A/V ratio minimal, we blocked houses together, linked walls, chose effective dimensions, delete corners, using egg shape in section, and adopted form to site. The result is twice reduced A/V ratio (0,39).

Isover materials used in proposal allow meet the Passive House standards – specific annual heat demand for the building is only 3.33 kwh/m2.

Another feature of the proposal is the design of sustainable neighborhood. Local community core is planned in the center of the development. The core is a common recreation space to all people living in the neighborhood.

The common playground, swimming pool, garden and common underground parking is a cost-effective solution and as well the place for communication and socialization between the neighbors.

Sustainable community advantages: no cars inside the block, common underground parking with a common entrance, common opportunities for recreation – swimming pool, garden, playground, sustainable environment for common living, working and socialization, Built-in services in some homes: shops, galleries, offices, common space for picnics and celebrations, common kindergarten in historic building of Trent Villa.

The BMW Group Pavilion is inspired by Victorian bandstands, applied in relation to the building’s natural surroundings. Designed by Serie Architects, the building is a place of spectacle, presenting the BMW brand and services. Located on the Waterworks River in the Olympic Park, the pavilion achieved its distinctive appearance by re-imagining the classic podium. It is light and seems to be floating above the water. Its animated façade, with water streaming down around the ground floor, creates an exciting visual effect. The first floor that forms the plinth is covered with water; this water spills down on all four sides of the pavilion entirely covering the ground floor.

One of the pavilion’s functions is to display BMW’s new fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles. These vehicles use carbon fiber bodywork with fluid soft curves. The geometry of the pavilion roofs manifests a similar calm and rationale attitude to geometry through the use of off-phase sinusoidal curves set out in symmetrical arrangement. The building thus communicates as sense of fluid dynamism without imitating the product.

The pavilion is in fact a cluster of smaller pavilions. Huddled together, the group of spaces is planned to be dispersed to other locations after the Olympic Games and serving as constant reminders of the Games held in London.